Building apparatus



My 4, 1948. s. "STEPANIAN 2,440,920

BUILDING APPARATUS .Filed Aug. 15, 1941 4 Sheets-Shed 1 I Q I 1 51- 22 .51 l 42 5o l .75

F/gl INVENTOR STEPHEN STEFAN/AN ATTORNEY y 1948' s. STEPANIAN v2,440,920

' 7 BUILDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 STEPHE N STEFAN/AN y 1948- s. STEPANIAN 2,440,920

BUILDING APPARATUS I INVENTOR STE FHEN} STEFAN/AN ZVMQZLJL,

TORNEYS s. STEPANIAN 2,440,920 BUILDING APPARATUS May 4, 1948.

4 #heets-Shee 4 Filed Aug. 15, 1941 INVENTOR STEPHEN STEFAN/AN Fe B Patented May 4, 1948 Bumnme'APPAng-rw I application we e;

The present invention relates to building struc-- tures, and more -Particularlyto? apparatus building structures formed of concrete:

One of the objectsofthe present invention is;--

to provide ;a building structure in which; a isup' port, intermediate the sidewalls supports the central portion ofgtheroofp and in which the outer portions of side walls.

Anot er objectof the prese the roof. floatingly reston'the nt invention is to provide apparatus for forming a-building of :the character described having a-base structure, side;

walls and roof; and with track means surrounding the same, and which has a'pivotally mounted i runway supported on the track-means, as well-I is as a crane supported thereby to facilitate the d tribution' of'huilding'formingmaterial. 1

It is also an object-to providebuilding apparatus of the type having-a vibratory trowel means,

andwhich has a crane anda pivotally mounted" runway therefor supported'o tracktsurrounding" al' 1 movement thereof in a horizonta1 plane.

Another objectwofgthe present-invention isto utilize the intermediate support, for"'the""ro'of;

the building foundation to provide for pivot or the base for'said support as a pivotal support ing mechanism for a tating vibrator;

Other and further objects and advantages willbe apparent fromwthe "following description; ref:

erencebeing had to the accompanying drawings f'the Fig, 2 is at op view of gmentary sectional view of the floor and the foundation therefor and showing the-apparatus used for forming the floor;

f the fio'or'and the Fig, (i-is a'top' pla'n" view 0 apparatus shown in'Fi-g. 5;

Fig: '7. is a fragmentarysectional:v

Fi shows apparatus for pou in itsrooi pouringposition:

rring to thc drawings, my improv ringconcrete Refs for

rotating platform =01 a "rothe foundation for section being" taken err-line plan view ofthe concretefounda iew showing the apparatus for forr'ningthe sidewalls; and 1 r h ed house h w? 3;? 4 w i h. in d s. b cal '3' 9 ,7 crete base 41, side walls 42,. preferably in the; fdriii" of; a" cylinder. and a mans; "Ijh e rest; is:

11555 0 using.

an a a l. 11 h himn s h w at The house is provided with at least one door 50 andjwindowsi'li- The ndation 4], in a cylindrical type house, il i lt w HEand radially extending webs 5 5, connecting the A pref red manner of forming the foundation for :the house is a provide firsta heavy 1ayer-- IQ of foundation gravel {i8 f8,nd' thlS gravel layer is- 'deeper fbelowlthe hub 5! and rim 5 3 and webs 55. Cold air ducts 59 areimbeddedinthe gravel and the hot air duct s fifl have only the upper surface thereof-extending above the gravel, It is lbw hehfib h rtis thedu tw Forms; are provided' for forming the hub 54, web and rim= 5 3 and then the "concrete base 41- p shown in Fig, 3; the excavation beingmade-deeper aggregate andsuitablecement. Bo1ts-62 are em: bedded in the hub 514;- and the ends-thereof ex-- tend upwardly. Re-enforcing rods =63; are embedded in the rim 5 3; and have port-ions 64 pro- 2ii jectingupwardly." After the-concrete base 4| is formed and the forms removed; the gravel 58 is" spread over thewebs--55. t Referring now toFigs. 5 and 6, the flange 66 of a socket-61;- issecure'd by nuts "68 to the four nallythreadedto receive an extending bearing 3, @,pivotallymounted upon-the bearing 10 and the" outer end thereof carries-wheels" which ride upon atracle 13 ::"-'1"h'e track-13 is supported on'a aggregate and 'cement" is placed; "in the bucket bucket" overhangs "the platform I l The" con: i-crte is then dumped'intofi'whel barrow '18 and convevedt'oth'e center hi the; foundation. Prei erably'a sector' from"'thecenter to'the rim is is poured;==a" vibrating movement is "imparted" to -the concrete for causing" the concrete tosettle and an; be. operated by a-workman" standing on e a cylindrical rim-53,-a-centra1 hub 1 5 ;necessary usually -to excavate the ground 6i as 29 is poured. This baseis formed; of a mixture of"- again retamped. 'Ijhen a --sealing material 65 is "top ofthe gravel betweenthebolts Elfin-the hubi54', This socket-61 is inter-- platform-1-4--and this platform encircles rim 53 and forms an" edge form 'for the floor 15. Th- $Q, rotating--platforni carries'a rotating cram-1'16 for a bucket '11.: 'A concret mixture of suitable pouredonto the foundationa'nd'; after such sector 'evenly-:and-fprovide-a smooth topsurface. Any suitable mechanical type of vibrator'may'be used" the platform 1L in the present embodiment'the' Y Jtfl lae r sunmnin v ew "havingihe inner end thereof pivotally supported on the bearing 10 and the outer end thereof carries one end of a long narrow trowel 82 and thi trowel extends from the socket 61 to the platform 14. The end of the trowel adjacent the platform I4 is carried by arm 99 similar to arm 19 and the free end of this arm is supported by a truck I having wheels 80 which ride upon the track I3.

The trowel 82 carries an electrically-operated vibrator BI for imparting vibratory motion there-;

to. While one workman is pouring the sector from the platform II, another workman can be using the vibrator and otherwise level and smooth.

the top surface of the floor. ably of wood, is embedded in the top; surfaceof the floor directly above the center of th rim 53 This ring 83 is later removed and-provides a depression forming a wall seat 84. The reenforca nd floor II 3 form a smooth surface which extendsto the gutter-'98 of form 86 and the con- A ring 3 r. -creteroof -B is then poured onto this surface.

This roof 43 is laid in the same manner that "the floor 80 is laid, that is, by pouring the con- Icrete from the bucket TI and into the wheel- 7 barrow .18 whence it is distributed. After it is ing rods 63 extend upwardly through the ring 83."

After the floor is laid and hardened, and

after the platform 1| is removed, the bearing 10 is removed and a post 85 is threaded into the socket 61. After the ring 83 isire'mov'ed, resilient sealing material having 'fi'ow character ist'ics isinserted intofthe recessed seat 84.-

This material 'is" shown at 8B. Theinner forms 81 for the side walls 42 are then placed in posi-' tion; These '1forms' arepr'eferablyformed of-a plurality of sections which extend throughout the height offthe wall 42 and theabut'ting"ve1'-' tically extending edgesjthereofare bolted toione" anothen'as shown in Fig. 7;

After the reenforcingrods arein position; the

outer form 96 is placed in position. This outer form, like-the inner form,-is"formed in a plurality of sections extending' throughout-'-" the height of the wall and have' the abutting ends thereof bolted tightly together. The sections of the outerjform 9'6 -a're also formed preferably of sheet"metal. The upper parts of the form-'96 extend outwardly to provides; ledg'e {9l,j which in turn forms a gutter 98.- The con'cretefis pouredfin'tothe space between the forms 81 and f 96, preferably by being dumped dire'ctl'y'into the upper part of -the space and intothe gutterv 98 whence it flows downwardly into-the space. concrete is elevated by crane'dfi which is now carriedpnan extension I 0I.' This extension is carried by wheels I2 which ride on the track 13. The bearing 10 is threaded into the upper part 'of the hollow-post 85 and the platform "H" is again pivotally mounted on the bearing 10.

The

Theouter ehdthereof is'secured to the exten sion 'IOI' of the crane I6; Thus the platform 'ltsteadies the crane. "It will be' noted-that the forms 8! 'and 96'are disposed so that the side Walls -42 are concentric .with' and-extend" into the seat 84 of the floor 15.; The sealin'g material 86 between the underside of theside walls '42 permits relative sidewise slidable movement'of the wall and floor which-may be necessary because'of relative expansion and contractiomof the floor and side walls due to -changes'in"tem-" perature. Several spaced vibrators J8I are removably clamped to the ,joints of sections'96 and are suspended from gussets "I 04 by' cables I05 and these vibratorsiare actuated for. the purpose ofcausing'settling of theconcrete and providing a smooth outer surface. These vibra-' tors can be raised and'lowered bytca-bles I05 and ara'ciamped at different heights duringf the p uringoperation; 1-... ii A collar'IOB issecured to thecenter= post 85 adjacent the top thereof. and this collar carries a disc of concrete I 01. This disc is provided with distributed, it is vibrated by a vibrator 8|, carried on the trowel 82;" The arm 99 is now carried by an extension (not shown) which rides I on wheels The inner end of arm I9 is again pivoted on bearing I0. It is desirable to hold the disc I01 stationaryduring the pouring operation of the roof and in order to accomplish this the post is braced by braces I20 which are suitably secured to the posts I I0.

After the concrete roof has set, the 'frameineluding members H0, III, and H2 and the braces I20 are removed and then the forms 81 and 96 are disassembled and removed from the structure. If desirable, the floor H3 canbe removed.

The-post 85 extends through the roof 43 and forms acenterabout which the chimney 49 can be built. A hole'is cut in the hollow post 85 and anipple I2I is attached. A furnacepipe' or the like can be attached to the nipple, and, thepost85then' functions asaflu In the preferred embodiment, the window frame and door frame (not shown) are inserted in position before the concrete is poured. These frames are formed of pressed steel which are surroundedby an angle iron. The frames'may behung from the top ofthe inner form' 81 by suitable wires which are fastened to the reenforcing rods 88 and 89 and to the angle iron";

It will of course be understood that these frames are hung in position before the reenforcing rods 88 and 89 and the outer forms 96 are placed in I position. The vibrating mechanisms 8I' cause the concrete to flow and fill the space directly underneath the window frames. I

The platform 10 and the track I3 are formed in sections and are removed after the roof is poured;

From the foregoing it will be seen that the roof is supportedentirely by the center post 85 and thefs'ide walls 42. The roof '43 floats on the side walls 42. In this manner the roof 43 can move relative to the side walls 42 and-this is desirable because of the relative difference in expansion and contraction of the roof and the sidewalls. The sealing material H6 and H1 prevents the-leaking or air at the joint between the side walls and'the roof. If desirable, cooperating hardened bearings may be embedded in the top of the side wall and in the underside of the roof directly above the side walls.

By reason of the method of construction, various different designs of footing and heading of the side walls can be obtained. In some cases, it may be desirable to provide a trough for directing the concrete between the forms 81 and 96, while in other types of construction the forms in-thems'elves provide a trough of sufficient width for receiving the concrete poured thereinto from the bucket 11.

It is apparent that many advantages are present herein. The present invention materially reduces the cost of building houses or th like. The floor and roof can be laid quickly by the apparatus including the rotatable platform and rotatable vibrator carrying arm. The central socket 61, in addition to providing a support for the central supporting post 85, provides a support for trunnion of the platform H and vibrator supporting arm 19. Likewise the supportin post 85 provides a support for the trunnion 10 of the platform H and arm 19.

Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to construct the building from preformed sections. It is to be understood that th floor can be made in sections and then laid, only the side walls and roof are built from preformed sections.

The roof is built from a plurality'of overlapping sections. These sections rest upon the concrete disk I01 (see Fig. 8). The outer ends of the sections overlie the side walls and are free to float.

By providing for sliding movement between the roof 43 and the side walls 42, the cost of construction has been materially reduced since only one additional support is necessary. Since sliding movement is permitted, differences in contraction and expansion between the side walls and the roof and the floor will have no detrimental effect.

Although I have shown the houses as circular in shape, it is readily apparent, to those skilled in the art that the fundamentals of construction and the mechanism employed to form the houses are equally applicable to houses having other than circular shape.

While the forms of embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming a building of the type having a base structure comprising track means surrounding the base structure, a runway, a crane carried by the runway, means pivotally supporting said runway on said base structure, andadditional means movably supporting said runway on said track means.

2. Apparatus for forming a building of the type having a base structure and side wall for-ms extending upwardly therefrom comprising track means surrounding the base structure, vertically extending post means supported by said base structure, and a horizontally extending runway movably mounted on said track means and pivotally connected to said post means, said runway being disposed in a plane above the top of the side wall forms and having a crane mounted thereon to facilitate the distribution of buildin forming material.

3. In building apparatus of the type having vibratory trowel means, the combination of track supporting means for surrounding a, building foundation, pivot means formed for attachment to the building foundation, a crane and a runway for facilitating the distribution of floor forming materials over the foundation supporting said crane, said runway and the vibratory trowel being supported on said pivot means and said track for pivotal movement in a horizontal direction.

S'I'EPHEN STEPANIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 541,538 Hartzell June 25, 1895 843,937 Given Feb. 12, 1907 942,403 McCoy Dec. 7, 1909 1,049,112 Love et al Dec. 31, 1912 1,103,863 Bowker July 14, 1914 1,127,369 Nash Feb. 2, 1915 1,138,394 Mueser May 4, 1915 1,165,586 Fraser et al. Dec. 28, 1915 1,203,482 Carr Oct. 31, 1916 1,225,356 Polk May 8, 1917 1,249,031 Clark Dec. 4, 1917 1,428,327 Girolami Sept. 5, 1922 1,527,432 Hall -2-.. Feb. 24, 1925 1,630,796 Keller May 31, 1927 1,645,538 MacDonald Oct. 18, 1927 1,818,005 Oden Aug. 11, 1931 1,963,983 Garrett June 26, 1934 1,995,692 Urschel Mar. 26, 1935 2,037,007 Conahey, Jr. Apr. 14, 1936 2,063,115 Neergoard Dec. 8, 1936 2,105,854 Buck Jan, 18, 1938 2,270,846 Hines Jan. 27, 1942 2,301,306 McDonald -1 Nov. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 448,112 Great Britain May 28, 1936 733,528 France Oct. 7, 1932 OTHER REFERENCES Farmers Bulletin No. 32, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, 1895, page 12. (Copy in Div. 33.)

The Preload System, Copyrighted 1935, page 10, (Copy in Div. 33.)

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,440,920. May 4, 1948.

STEPHEN STEPANIAN It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 3, line 32, after Fig. 7 insert the following sentence: Steel reenforcement is then secured to the inner forms; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofl ice.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of August, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

